Unified Data Strategy:

Your Route to Supercharged Marketing Performance

Author: Dharmesh Ghedia, Lead Solutions Architect Published: 23rd July 2025

5-minute read

Consumer expectations have reached an all-time high, demanding personalised experiences at every touchpoint. Yet, for many advertisers, these valuable customer insights and data points are locked away in silos, preventing them from seeing the complete picture - hindering their ability to deliver on these expectations.

The key to meeting those consumer expectations and unlocking sustainable growth lies in a Unified Data Strategy - breaking down those internal silos, creating a single, coherent view of your customer and marketing efforts. This isn't just a technical exercise; it's a fundamental shift in how you understand and interact with the people who matter most to your business - your audience.

The Fragmented Reality and Unified Vision

For too long, marketing, sales, product teams, and customer service departments have operated their datasets in silos. This results in a fragmented customer journey, inconsistent messaging, and missed opportunities. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Research (and reality) shows that while many companies are ‘data-rich’, they are often ‘insight-poor’ - a common theme across majority of industries.

A Unified Data Strategy brings these data points together to create a single source of truth for every customer interaction, from their first click on a Google Ad to their latest in-app purchase, to a conversation with a customer service agent or even a digital ‘bot’. Connecting these interactions into a holistic view is the bedrock of a truly customer-centric approach.

The benefits are not just theoretical; they’re backed by compelling evidence. A study by Boston Consulting Group, in partnership with Google, found that companies using first-party data for key marketing functions achieved up to a 2.9x revenue uplift and a 1.5x increase in cost savings. Another report, this time by McKinsey, highlights that data-driven organisations are 23 times more likely to acquire customers and 6 times as likely to retain them.

Real-World Impact

for Industries

So, what does this opportunity mean for you?

• For Retailers:

  
  

  Imagine being able to connect a customer's online browsing behaviour with their in-store purchase history. This unified view allows for truly personalised product recommendations and timely offers that resonate. 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalised interactions and this can only be achieved by unifying your data. Only then can you move beyond generic promotions to creating individualised shopping experiences that foster loyalty and increase basket size. Source: McKinsey

• For Telecommunication Providers:

  
  

  The Telecoms industry is fiercely competitive. A Unified Data Strategy can be a game-changer for customer retention. By combining network usage data with customer service interactions and billing information, you can proactively identify customers at risk of churn and tailor retention offers that are genuinely compelling.

  
  

  Telecom churn rates range from 20% to 50% annually - and with acquisition being 6-7x more expensive than retention, proactively predicting at-risk customers and countering is essential. Telecommunications aren’t the only industry needing to counter churn risks.
  

  

  Source: Customer Gauge

• For Travel:

  An industry typically faced with lengthy decision-making from initial website visit to the final purchase – insight and personalisation is paramount. A Unified Data Strategy allows you to understand your audience's viewing habits, content preferences, and engagement patterns across all your platforms. This enables you to serve hyper-relevant content recommendations, driving deeper engagement and increasing conversions.

  
  

  Let's look at this example in action...

  
  

  Case Study Working for an international travel provider, we tackled their multi-session customer journey challenge, identifying audiences and optimising targeting strategies to improve on-site engagement. ​ First, we improved the Quality Score (QS) model to accurately predict which site visitors were more likely to convert to purchasers, based on their internet traits and the behaviour signals. Then, we improved site tagging and up-skilled media teams, simplifying reporting, optimising media campaigns and enhancing the consumer experience - connecting important dots such as existing bookings vs. new potential customers. The results...
  

  ➜ +155% increase in engaged user traffic

  ➜ +270% booking funnel entries (conversions)

  ➜ 2 billion rows of analytics data analysed

  ➜ -75% reporting time saved through custom build reports
  

  
  

  

The Power

of Partnerships

Embarking on the journey to a Unified Data Strategy can seem daunting and a complex exercise. At PM Dragonfly, we combine our deep expertise in data strategy and activation with our deep marketing and cloud platforms specialism, working with you to translate that data into actionable insights and tangible business growth.

Our approach is built on the principle of "AI Technology. Human Creativity." We leverage cutting-edge AI and machine learning capabilities to uncover hidden patterns and opportunities within your data. But we also bring the human element – the strategic thinking and creative application of technology – to ensure that your data strategy is perfectly aligned with your business objectives.

Top Takeaway

Whilst more data is being generated than ever before, the future of marketing is not about collecting more data; it's about connecting and maximising the value from the data you already have. By embracing a Unified Data Strategy, you can move from a fragmented view of your customers to a deep, meaningful understanding that will power your marketing and drive sustainable growth for years to come.

Reach out to explore how we can support you on building your United Data Strategy and maximise the value of your data.